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Sunderland fell to a 5-1 defeat to Rotherham United on Saturday afternoon, and a number of Black Cats supporters hit out at captain Aidan McGeady, who was shown a red card at the New York Stadium.

Lee Johnson made two changes from the previous league match against Charlton Atheltic, with Elliot  Embleton and Leon Dajaku coming in for Alex Pritchard and Aiden O’Brien. That meant McGeady kept his place on the wing for his 12th League One appearance of the campaign, but it was one to forget for the Irish veteran.

The 35-year-old received two yellow cards shortly after the interval to leave his team with a mountain to climb, with the hosts 3-1 up at the time.

McGeady was Sunderland’s worst-outfield starter, as per SofaScore, with a match rating of 5.5/10. He failed to have a shot on goal, complete a dribble or make a key pass during his time on the pitch. He also lost possession on six occasions and was beaten in six of his eight duels (75%).

Sunderland fans react

Here is what these Sunderland fans had to say about the Irishman on Twitter, with one labelling him as ‘appalling’ yesterday.

“What an absolute horror show this is, absolutely lost our heads. What is McGeady thinking?! Shocking”

Credit: @xhannahanderson

“McGeady just needs to retire. Been awful this season.”

Credit: @OfficialDPope

“Appalling from McGeady. As an experienced player on a yellow card it is unprofessional and negligent to be flying into challenges like that. Game over now.”

Credit: @StuzMate

“Disgrace from McGeady! Think he wanted sent off there.”

Credit: @mksavage73

“That was brainless from McGeady. He’s a senior pro. He should know better. He’s becoming a bigger issue every week. His role in the team HAS to be refined now.”

Credit: @Philip_RJ89

“McGeady & O’Nien please never play for us again thank you”

Credit: @mattsmith2707

“McGeady…. Finished in my opinion”

Credit: @wdt0_0

In other news: ‘Made my day’ – Lots of Sunderland fans go wild as ‘excellent news’ is confirmed. 

Diego Carlos could reportedly now be tempted with a move to Newcastle United in the summer.

The Lowdown: January not to be

It was no secret that the St. James’ Park faithful were strongly pushing to sign Carlos throughout most of the January transfer window only for a deal to fall through, with the Magpies opting to sign Dan Burn from Brighton and Hove Albion instead.

This came after the Brazilian himself handed in a transfer request at Sevilla in order to try and force through a move to the North East, and so a move to Tyneside in the future should not be ruled out, so long as they can avoid relegation from the Premier League of course.

The Latest: Summer move?

As per La Razon, Carlos could now be tempted again by a move to the Magpies in the summer.

The news outlet cites that the Toon made an offer worth up to €55m (£46.3m) last month to Sevilla for their central defender, which was turned down, but does not specify how much it would take to get him once the summer transfer window opens.

The Verdict: Get it done

Interestingly, Sevilla considered Carlos ‘untouchable’ in January, despite bids coming in for him and his transfer request, but now it looks like he could try and force through a move in the summer instead.

Whatever price the La Liga club set, Eddie Howe’s simply have to pay it, as he would lift the quality of their backline beyond measure.

The six-foot-one colossus has been dubbed as a ‘real leader at the back’ (The Daily Express) by European football expert Andy Brassell, and is appropriately nicknamed ‘The Beast‘, a no-nonsense defender that would certainly help NUFC concede fewer goals next season, having helped Sevilla keep the best defensive record in La Liga so far.

Nonetheless, after the signing of another Brazilian in Bruno Guimaraes, his arrival would further show a statement of intent from the new owners.

In other news, find out which ‘Rolls-Royce’ Newcastle are now planning to sign in the summer here!

A key update has emerged on the fitness of Sheffield Wednesday beast Massimo Luongo, regarding how long he is set to be out for.

What’s the latest?

Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore has allayed fears that Massimo Luongo will be out until 2022, confirming that he should be out for weeks instead of months.

He told the Sheffield Star:

“Massimo is just going to be out for weeks… He won’t be out until the new year, he’ll be back with our medical team next week. And then he’ll start working and doing his rehabilitation. He’s got a hamstring string pull, which is unfortunate, he did it in the last kick of the game at Rotherham.

“We wanted to get him into a specialist to get another view, and that’s what he’s done. He’s been given a programme to follow, and we’ll have him back in weeks as opposed to the reports that said he’ll be out until the New Year. We expect him back before that.”

Fans will be buzzing

Wednesday fans will be buzzing with this news as it means that Luongo will not be out until 2022 with his injury, as was first feared. It would have been a major blow to Moore’s squad had the Australian international been out for a number of months, as he is a quality member of the team and a player capable of putting in excellent performances.

The 28-year-old was restricted to 12 games in the Championship last season, averaging a solid WhoScored rating of 6.65. He averaged an impressive 2.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions in the second tier, showing that he was adept at winning the ball back off the opposition.

In his first league appearance of the current campaign, Luongo showed exactly what he is capable of doing at this level with a stunning display against Rotherham in a 2-0 win. He achieved a WhoScored rating of 8.33 as he won two aerial battles, seven tackles, one interception and made three clearances and a block.

Along with the defensive side of his game, the midfield beast also completed three dribbles and one key pass to push his team up the pitch in transition and help to create chances at the top end.

Ex-Owls boss Garry Monk hailed Luongo last year and claimed that he was one of the best players in the side.

He said:

“I think he has been one of our best performing players in terms of consistency across all the games that he has played so far. He is a great lad. He is a quiet leader.

“I have asked more of him vocally to come out of his shell. I think you have seen in some of the games that he is no afraid to say what he wants to say. We need that and I have tried to encourage that.”

This, along with his showing against Rotherham, highlights the impact that he can make on Moore’s side in League One.

Wednesday fans will be over the moon that his injury is not as serious as first thought and that he could be back fit and firing within a few weeks, rather than months.

Hopefully, he is able to get back as quickly as possible to contribute to the Owls’ promotion charge.

Alex McLeish has claimed that James Forrest has been a ‘big’ loss to Celtic since his injury.

The Lowdown: Forrest update

As cited by the The Scotsman, Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that the 30-year-old, along with Christopher Jullien, will return to training with the first team after the international break in October.

Forrest has not played for the Hoops since their 2-0 Europa League qualifying first leg win at home to AZ Alkmaar in August.

The Latest: McLeish on Forrest

When asked by Football Insider if not having Forrest available has been a loss for Celtic, former Scotland manager McLeish replied:

“100 per cent.

“Sometimes get people watching games and say: ‘What does he really do?’ James does a lot. He probably isn’t open to those kinds of questions

“But you’ll see other players getting that asked of them: ‘What do they really do?’

“When they’re out of the game, that’s when you see how big a loss they are to a team.

“He’s produced so many goals over the seasons and so many assists. Not only that, his work rate for the team, his tracking back, he does all that’s well.

“That’s one of the things with last week’s Livingston result, Ange is going to be into those defenders. You’ve got to be back sharper, you’ve got to be out quicker.

“For me, there were a lot of players at half pace last weekend. Maybe it’s a confidence thing.”

The Verdict: Big miss

Forrest has certainly been a big miss to the Hoops, as you only have to look at their league position. Before their clash with Dundee United today, they were lingering in sixth spot, which is simply not good enough for a club of their calibre and adds credence to McLeish’s claim about him being a huge loss to Postecoglou’s side.

The 30-year-old had also started the season well, scoring two goals and supplying a further three assists in seven matches across all competitions (Transfermarkt), so he still plays a key role in the team.

The Bhoys will be hoping to have the Scotland international back as soon as possible so that he can help rejuvenate their campaign.

In other news, Celtic have been dealt a triple injury blow

Paddy Kenny has claimed that Amanda Staveley will now be ‘furious’ with the new owners over a development at Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Staveley to be snubbed

As per the The Daily Mail, Staveley is set to be snubbed by the new owners in their hunt for someone to take the new chief executive role.

It is claimed that the businesswoman was expected to be handed the position as a reward for her role as the public face of the takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

The Latest: Kenny reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League goalkeeper Kenny, 43, has claimed that Staveley would be ‘furious’ if she is not given the role:

“Personally, I’d be absolutely livid.

“Obviously, we don’t know all the ins and outs and what’s been promised to her when they made the deal.

“But if she’s been told she’d get the job and now this has happened, she’ll be furious. She has done all the hard work in sorting this takeover out.

“We know how long that took so it could be a proper kick in the teeth if this does end up happening.”

The Verdict: Can still contribute

Even if Staveley is not made the new chief executive at St. James’ Park, she can still contribute to the North East club in other ways.

It was a pleasure for the Toon Army to see her in attendance during their 3-2 loss at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last time out, and the way that she has communicated to the fans during the whole takeover process is already more than what Mike Ashley managed to do during his tenure.

Nonetheless, Staveley will no doubt be a key figure in the new era, and making her the new chief executive would only be a bonus.

In other news, find out what the immediate reaction was from players to Steve Bruce’s sacking here!

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge would have liked to have seen Cristian Romero and Toby Alderweireld play together for Tottenham.

Alderweireld departed the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer after six years with Spurs.

The 32-year-old made 236 appearances during his time in north London, scoring nine goals and assisting a further five, before joining Qatari side Al-Duhail for a fee reported to be £13m this summer [The Guardian].

Cristian Romero joined Spurs from Atalanta this summer on a loan with the option to buy for £42.5m [Alasdair Gold]. The defender was named Best Defender in Serie A last season after making 42 appearances for Atalanta, scoring three goals and providing five assists, and he helped the club to a third-place finish Serie A.

But Bridge wanted to see Alderweireld and Romero play together in Spurs shirts, feeling the latter could have done with the former’s experience.

He told Football FanCast: “Romero, top-class centre-half, but he might need a bit of experience in the Premier League and if he’s got Toby with him, that’s what I wanted to see but I suppose it was a pretty good fee and good wage for Toby.”

Spurs got their Premier League campaign off to a brilliant start and kept a clean sheet, beating Manchester City 1-0 last weekend.

A major transfer update has emerged which will affect Rangers’ plans to bring one of their targets to Ibrox this month…

What’s the talk?

According to Dutch outlet AD, Gers target Joey Veerman is set to undergo a medical with PSV Eindhoven ahead of a €5.5m (£4.6m) switch from Heerenveen, with the report claiming that they have beaten Feyenoord to his signature.

The Scotsman have also carried a claim from the Netherlands stating that he is due to join PSV for a fee of €6m (£5m), having been heavily linked with a move to Ibrox in the summer.

Last month, journalist Pete O’Rourke touted him as a player who Giovanni van Bronckhorst would look to sign in his first transfer window in charge at the club.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Veerman will definitely be high on the list of targets. They tried to sign him in the summer and he still remains high on their list of potential targets.

“With van Bronckhorst in there now, I think it just gives extra weight in maybe following up that interest in the Dutchman.”

This will infuriate the Gers

Van Bronckhorst is headed for his first disaster in Glasgow, as missing out on a deal for the Dutch midfielder could be a major blow for the club. O’Rourke claimed that he was one of their top targets for the January window and they are now set to watch him sign for another Eredivisie club instead of coming over to Scotland, which could alter their plans in the market.

This news will also surely infuriate Rangers fans as Veerman could have been a superb signing for the Scottish champions. He has proven his quality in the top division of Dutch football in recent years and shown that he can perform consistently to a high level.

Since the start of the 2019/20 campaign, the midfielder has produced 14 goals and 21 assists in 71 appearances whilst averaging a sublime WhoScored rating of 7.33. This season, he has averaged a rating of 7.32 from the website and provided three goals and six assists in 18 Eredivisie outings.

The 23-year-old could therefore have been an excellent addition to Van Bronckhorst’s side, as he is capable of delivering consistently strong performances whilst chipping in with vital contributions in the final third.

This is why Rangers fans will be infuriated by this news, as the club have allowed PSV to beat them in the race for his services. It also illustrates why this is a disaster for the Gers head coach, as he is missing out on what could have been a quality signing.

AND in other news, Rangers can brutally axe £5.6k-p/w dud if Van Bronckhorst signs beast who’s a “nightmare to mark”…

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is set to be without another player alongside Ruben Dias as they gear up for today’s blockbuster Eastlands clash with arch title rivals Liverpool.

The Lowdown: Huge day…

A single point separates the Sky Blues and Jurgen Klopp’s side in the race for Premier League glory with today’s mouth-watering encounter coming as an absolutely pivotal one.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/man-city-newest-updates/” title=”Man City newest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

City boast the best defensive record in England’s top flight, conceding just 18 goals all season, while their competitors today have bagged the division’s most strikes with 77 (Premier League).

Guardiola and Klopp, with barely anything between their sides, are set to go head-to-head again this afternoon in what could be a real 2021/2022 title race six-pointer.

The Sky Blues grabbed a deserved 2-2 draw at Anfield the last time these teams met, but with a win today, City could take one gigantic leap towards retaining their Premier League crown.

Guardiola will be hampered by the absence of star defender Ruben Dias, and as per the latest team news, he’ll be without another player alongside him at the Etihad Stadium.

The Latest: Pep without Palmer…

As confirmed, City’s head coach won’t be able to call upon electric starlet Cole Palmer today.

The homegrown ace has been sidelined for most of the calendar year, coming as a piece of frustration given his head-turning rise to prominence earlier in the campaign.

Palmer has thoroughly impressed at points but hasn’t been able to contribute lately due to ongoing fitness issues, prompting the Citizens to even consider surgery.

The Verdict: Blow for Pep?

The 19-year-old, CFG’s most exciting academy product since a certain Phil Foden, has been an arguable miss off the bench and City supporters will be hoping he can return to full fitness as soon as possible.

Palmer has attracted huge praise for some of his cameos this season with club legends Paul Dickov and Shaun Wright-Phillips raving over the exciting attacker.

Wright-Phillips in particular, speaking after the talent notched a goal and assist in City’s 4-1 FA Cup third round victory away to Swindon Town, labelled Palmer ‘outstanding’ for his form over the campaign (City’s matchday live show via The Manchester Evening News).

Guardiola could’ve done with the teenager’s obvious talent as an option off the bench, but alas, the Spaniard will be without him yet again as he prepares for Liverpool.

In other news: Man City discussions held as ‘unbelievable’ £33m star decides he wants to join Pep! Find out more here.

Paul Dummett is closing in on a return to action for Newcastle United, according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh. 

The lowdown

Dummett is yet to feature for the Magpies this term, having sustained a calf injury in pre-season before he was hit with a ‘setback’ in the latter part of Steve Bruce’s tenure.

He started 14 Premier Leagues games in 2020/21, averaging 4.7 clearances (second in Newcastle’s squad), 2.6 successful aerial duels (fourth overall) and 1.1 tackles (joint-second) per 90 minutes (via WhoScored).

The 30-year-old’s £35,000-per-week contract is due to expire at the end of the season.

The latest

Waugh was asked by a fan in a Q&A for The Athletic on Monday what was ‘happening’ with Dummett, and even whether the Welshman could be ‘forced to retire’ – a scenario the player himself had considered following prolonged spells of injury anguish.

The journalist replied: “It has been a frustrating few months for Paul Dummett, who continues to be ravaged by injury problems.

“However, he did return to the grass last week and the indications I’ve received are that he could be in contention for selection within a matter of weeks, if not potentially even days. He suffered a calf problem during pre-season and then unfortunately had a setback during Bruce’s final few weeks, but he is closing in on a return.

“However, given his lack of action in recent months, and how susceptible he is to injuries, it may take him a little bit of time to get fully up to speed.”

The verdict

Mercifully for the struggling Magpies, the injury list is pretty thin at the moment. Dummett and Dwight Gayle are the only fitness-related absentees, and the latter is closing in on a return too (via Premier Injuries).

The Welshman said around this time last year that a prolonged spell on the sidelines had led him to contemplate retirement, so it feels vital that Newcastle manage his reintegration properly to avoid him breaking down again.

In the words of Steve Bruce, he’s a ‘terrific’ player who heads ‘everything’ away when he’s on form. The 30-year-old’ statistics back up his former manager’s comments,

In other news, Newcastle are desperate to sign this midfielder

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is ‘ready’ to accept Aston Villa’s offer to replace Dean Smith at Villa Park.

And he is keen to bring some Ibrox stars with him to the Midlands, according to Hamish Azul of The Economist.

The Lowdown: Gerrard at Rangers…

Gerrard leaped into first-team management when he joined Rangers back in 2018 and hasn’t looked back since.

The 41-year-old, who likes to use an attacking 4-3-3 system, has won 124 of his 192 games as a boss in Scotland, winning the club’s first Premiership title for 10 years last season.

His team are once again top of the table during the current campaign ahead of rivals Celtic, and despite reports previously suggesting that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp may have a say in any move to the Midlands, it seems as if Gerrard could be Villa’s new man in charge very soon, with Ashley Preece claiming that Gerrard to Villa is all but done.

The Latest: Azul’s post

On Tuesday afternoon, Azul was one of the first to drop a major update on Gerrard moving south.

He claimed that the Englishman is ‘ready to take up’ Villa’s offer, even hinting that Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, had been in touch over a potential switch.

Azul then went on to add that ‘no clause’ will be inserted in a deal stopping Gerrard signing any Gers players, and he is ‘keen’ to act with ‘significant funds’ set to be available.

The Verdict: A new chapter…

Christian Purslow appears to have been key in what appears to be a likely move for Gerrard following their Liverpool connections, and it looks set to be a fresh era at Villa Park under the former Reds midfielder.

Should a move officially go through, you’d expect he’ll know exactly who he would want to bring with him to Villa on a playing front.

Centre-back Connor Goldson, right-back James Tavernier, striker Alfredo Morelos and winger Ryan Kent are some of the players Gerrard has used most as a manager, so perhaps he may look at a few of those to make his mark in the Midlands.

It appears as if he is interested in bringing some players with him, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the winter window, should he take over.

In other news: NSWE now eye ‘outstanding’ boss as Villa alternative for Gerrard; due in UK soon.